Nicosia, Cyprus. The cabinet on Wednesday approved an additional €6.35 million for livestock farmers affected by foot and mouth disease. Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said the government remains committed to supporting the sector’s recovery.
Compensation package approved
The package includes €4.85 million for compensation payments covering losses of livestock, milk and animal feed. It also provides an additional €1.5 million in targeted support for affected sheep and goat farmers.
Panayiotou said the latest decisions bring the government’s total support for the livestock sector to €39 million.
Government says payments are continuing
“With these €4.85 million, we estimate that we will complete all compensation payments related to the loss of livestock, hay, milk and other damages,” Panayiotou said.
The minister rejected suggestions that compensation payments had stalled, stating that around €16 million had already been paid to affected farmers.
Outstanding cases under review
Panayiotou said 15 cases remain outstanding after discrepancies were found during the verification process.
“These files involve differences in livestock numbers or other issues that required legal guidance,” Panayiotou stated.
She added that the cases have been referred to the Legal Service and are now undergoing final checks before payments can be released.
“I want to stress that these are the last 15 livestock farmers,” she said. “Claims that we have not paid compensation or provided support are simply not true.”